Movable barrier operators of various kinds are known in the art and include, for example, so-called garage door openers. Movable barrier operators typically serve to facilitate the automated movement of one or more corresponding movable barriers (such as, but not limited to, single panel and segmented garage doors, rolling shutters, pivoting and sliding gates, arm guards, and so forth). In many cases such movable barrier operators are responsive to a remotely sourced control signal (or signals) to institute such activity.
Moment-to-moment power supply needs of a typical movable barrier operator can vary considerably. A typical movable barrier operator, on the one hand, is “on” essentially all the time as an instruction from an end user to effective desired movement of the corresponding movable barrier can arrive at any time. On the other hand, the power supply requirements of such an operator are usually greatest when the movable barrier operator expends energy to cause barrier movement.
Unfortunately, the power supplies for movable barrier operators must be configured to support these occasional high power requirements. As a result, these power supplies typically comprise a transformer and this transformer usually represents a source of considerable inefficiency. For example, many such transformers have a core formed of iron laminations and these iron laminations give rise, in turn, to eddy currents that represent a considerable amount of wasted electrical energy. As a result, the stand-by electrical requirements of such a movable barrier operator comprises, in some significant amount, wasted electrical power.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.